The Past is Set in Stone
by Zenny13
Summary: Harry Potter steps through a door and finds himself at Hogwarts.  Unfortunately it's not the Hogwarts he knows.  It's the Hogwarts of 1977, and his parents are in their seventh year of school.
1. The Door

**Disclaimer: I'm just a poor college student; I don't own Harry Potter. Unfortunately, I don't own Potter Puppet Pals either :(**

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><p>Harry Potter was lost.<p>

Not that he would admit that to anyone.

It had all started with one of those infernal purple memos. Harry was just finishing up the last of his paperwork for the day when the note practically impaled his head. Of course _now_ he wished that he had just thrown it aside and saved it for another day. Instead, he read it like a "responsible" auror who enjoys reading pointless memos should. Now, he was stuck in this horrible place, opening door after door trying to find a Mr. Darnell.

He yanked another door open only to discover yet another empty room with unmarked doors on all sides. "Son of a banshee!" he exclaimed loudly, "I hate this place!"

_They _did _offer to send a guide for you, you know._

"I know that!" Harry remarked to the barren room.

_Just because you've been here before doesn't mean that you know all of the secrets of the Department of Mysteries._

"Oh just shut up!"

_You're the one who's having a conversation with yourself._

"Merlin's pants!" Harry yelled, "I'm answering my own thoughts _out loud_!"

_You know, talking to yourself is the first sign of madness..._

Harry balked. "Get me out of here!" he finally said.

He opened one last door, and immediately threw his arms up to cover his eyes. The light was blinding after spending so long in the dark, endless corridors. Harry squinted as his eyes tried to adjust to the change. Something was wrong. The light was so bright that it should have lit up the whole room, but it stopped at the doorframe. Not a single ray of light penetrated the dark room. Harry stepped closer to the door. He heard a rush of wind behind him and suddenly felt himself being pushed forward.

"Aaaaaarrrrgggghhh!"

Harry was falling.

The bright light, it turns out, was actually sunlight. The door opened onto a grassy field. The only problem was that the door happened to be several yards above the ground. Harry had just enough time to register that he was falling, to realize that his landing was going to hurt, and to hear the door slam behind him before he landed face-first on the ground.

_Ow, _he thought. Then the world went black.

...

Harry regained consciousness a few seconds later. At least, he thought it was a few seconds. He was lying on his stomach, and his cheek was flattened against the ground. The frame of his glasses were cutting into the side of his face, and it might have been painful if the rest of his body didn't ache from his fall. His eyelids fluttered open. He carefully stood up and brushed off his robes, making sure that nothing was broken. He checked his pockets for his wand and thankfully found it along with his invisibility cloak. Harry withdrew his wand and held it at the ready. Now that he was sure that he wasn't badly injured, he could really look at his surroundings.

He was standing in the middle of a field of grass. To his left was a forest. He shivered unconsciously, thinking of the last time he was in a place like that. In front of him and slightly to the right was a lake. If he didn't know any better, he would say that he was at Hogwarts. That was impossible, though. There were few ways of getting onto Hogwarts grounds, and none without the permission and/or knowledge of Professor McGonagall, the Headmistress. It was even impossible to use the secret passageways without detection because all the passages were sealed after the battle of Hogwarts. The school's whole security system was improved after the war. Harry turned slowly to the right and nearly fell over again. Just across the sprawling grounds was Hogwarts, itself. "This can't be happening..." Harry muttered. He looked even further to the right, and sure enough, there was Hagrid's hut.

_Well, this can't be good._

Harry took the invisibility cloak from his pocket and quickly covered himself. He made sure that his feet were covered and started walking towards Hagrid's. The grounds looked almost exactly as he remembered them to be before the battle, which was strange. Nowadays, it was common to see chunks of stone and marble littered on the ground, pieces of the castle long since forgotten and covered in moss, or rough patches of dirt where the ground had been blown away, but Harry didn't see any of that here. The grounds were almost too perfect. It felt surreal, like the battle had never even happened.

He approached the window of Hagrid's hut and glanced inside. It was a relief to come across a familiar sight. Hagrid was sitting at the massive round wooden table peeling potatoes. Feeling a great sense of safety, Harry took off the invisibility cloak. If Harry could trust only one person here, it would be Hagrid. He walked around to the front of the house and knocked. He was surprised to hear not the deep booming bark that he was accustomed to hearing from Fang, but a high-pitched bark he could only assume belonged to a very small dog. "Alrigh', alrigh'. I'm comin'," Hagrid said from the other side of the door, "Come 'ere, you." There was another little bark, and then the door swung open. Hagrid stood framed in the doorway, looking just as massive as ever. In one hand he held a small black puppy that was currently gnawing on his sleeve and drooling everywhere. Harry opened his mouth to say something, but Hagrid beat him to it. "Who are yeh, and what are yeh doin' 'ere?" he said harshly.

Harry was confused. "It's me, Hagrid. It's Harry," he said, "You know the chosen-boy-who-lived-to-kill-Voldemort, and all that..." This had to be some kind of joke.

Hagrid flinched violently. "don' say tha' name!" he growled, "an' I don' know who yeh are, but I have half a mind ta feed yeh to the giant squid. What are yeh doin' 'ere, eh?"

Harry took a step back, somewhat frightened for his life. "You really don't recognize me, Hagrid?"

"No, I don', an' I'm taking yeh to Dumbledore," Hagrid said. He dropped the puppy unceremoniously to the ground then reached out with a trash can lid sized hand and grabbed Harry by the collar. "It's dangerous havin' strangers wanderin' 'bout the grounds these days. Now, not a peep out of yeh, or I'll take care of you mesself."

Hagrid started to drag Harry toward the castle, but Harry was barely paying attention. His head was reeling. He could have sworn Hagrid said something about Dumbledore, but he died _years_ ago. He would know, he was there. Hagrid must have hit his head or something. Maybe he was under attack from a wrackspurt or a crumple-horned snorkack. _Yeah, that must be it_, Harry thought desperately.

"Hey, Hagrid!" a voice called, "Watcha got there?"

"Never yeh mind, Black," Hagrid replied, "This is a matter of Hogwarts security."

"Didcha catch another Death Eater sneaking into your pumpkin patch, Hagrid," a slightly familiar voice said.

Hagrid flushed. "Tha' was an hones' mistake, I'm telling yeh! Those kids should know to stay away from me pumpkins."

"Well they do now." Harry knew that voice. With a great effort, he pulled himself out of his thoughts and focused on the two boys in front of Hagrid and himself. One was tall with dark, casually styled hair and grey eyes. The other one was slightly shorter and had hazel eyes, round glasses, and horrifically messy black hair.

_Oh crap..._

Harry felt his knees give out, and for the second time that day, the world went black.

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><p><strong>AN: Hello any wonderful readers I might have! I know the whole Harry goes back in time and meets his parents thing is kind of cliche, but I really wanted to write a story like this. Whenever I read these stories, I always find myself thinking how I would write them, so I wrote one myself. Please review and let me know what you think so far. Let me know of any mistakes I made or ways I could improve the story. Thanks for reading :)**


	2. The Past is the New Present

**I still don't own Harry Potter.**

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><p>Harry could see a bright light somewhere in the direction of up. It was annoying. Didn't the light know that he was trying to sleep! He was having the most peculiar dream. Somehow he had managed to get lost in the department of mysteries, fell through a door, and ended up at Hogwarts where he met his teenage father and a young Sirius Black. Harry chuckled mentally at the absurdity of it all. <em>Darn this bright light!<em> It was _really_ distracting. Giving up hope of getting back to sleep, Harry opened his eyes.

He leapt up and scanned the bedside table for his wand. It was nowhere in sight. This was not his bedroom. In fact, it wasn't even his house. Unless he was mistaken, he was in the hospital wing at Hogwarts. Harry heard a door open, and he crouched behind the bed, listening for approaching footsteps.

"You can come out, dear," an exasperated voice called, "It's no use hiding. All the doors are locked, and I have your wand. You can't go anywhere, so you might as well get back in that bed."

Feeling very much like his four year old son, James, Harry peered around the edge of the bed. He saw a short, plump woman standing in front of the door to Madam Pomfrey's quarters. She had an annoyed look on her face and her hands placed on her hips. Harry stood up, chagrined. "Who are you?" he asked.

"I'm Madame Burchard, and I'm the Healer here at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry," she said, "You're in the hospital wing, young man. Hagrid, he's our gamekeeper, was bringing you up to Professor Dumbledore when you fainted right there on the grounds, so he brought you up here instead."

"Dumbledore?"

"Goodness, don't you know who Dumbledore is? You must have hit your head harder than we thought. Why he's the headmaster of the school and most likely the most famous wizard since Merlin himself! I mean, I thought everyone alive has heard of Dumbledore. How could you not have, especially since his famous defeat of the Dark Lord Grindelwald? He wasn't quite as famous before then, but that happened over 30 years ago. I just don't see how you..."

Harry's knees were shaking. "I think I need to sit down.," he said.

"Oh bother," Madame Burchard exclaimed. She hurried over to Harry's side. "There I go again. Shame on you for letting me get carried away like that!" She seized Harry's shoulders and with a strength he didn't expect from such an old, small woman, pushed him down on the bed. "You need to take this potion," she thrust a small flask of an orange colored liquid into his hands, "It will help with the dizziness and hopefully keep you from fainting again. I just don't know what caused you to fall over like that. Must be the heat. It _is _unusually hot for this time of year." She paused and looked at Harry with concern. "Now, I don't want you to get all hot and bothered, but Professor Dumbledore himself should be showing up here any minute. He's going to want to ask you some questions. If you ask me, it wasn't very smart of you to go wandering around the school grounds. Don't you know what dangerous times these are?"

"Er... yeah," Harry said. She had said that all very fast, and Harry was still trying to wrap his head around the fact that _Dumbledore_, a _living_, _breathing_ Dumbledore, was going to be talking to him in a matter of minutes.

"You drink that," Madame Burchard ordered, eyeing the flask, "I'll just be tidying up if you need me."

Harry watched the woman shuffle toward the door. Then he examined the odd-colored liquid inside the small container. It did not look appetizing. He uncorked the flask and was immediately engulfed by a foul smell. He glanced over at the healer again, making sure she was preoccupied, and promptly dumped the potion into the potted plant that was sitting on his bedside table. The potion hissed as it sunk down into the didn't need the potion anyway. He knew why he fai...er...passed out, and it most certainly had nothing to do with the heat. It wasn't a dream. He really had seen his father. Somehow the door in the Department of Mysteries had shoved him into the past. And he promised he would be home for dinner. Ginny was going to kill him.

The creak of the hospital wing door interrupted Harry's thoughts, and he heard a deep voice say, "Altheda, is he awake?"

The matron answered, "Oh yes, headmaster. I heard him wake up, so I came out here, but he was crouched behind the bed. I reminded him that I had his wand and he'd be smart just to do as I say. Then I pushed him back on to the bed and gave him a potion to rehydrate him. He should be ready to answer some questions now, sir."

"Thank you, Altheda," the headmaster said. The man stepped forward into the light and Harry saw someone he never thought he'd see again: Albus Dumbledore. Dumbledore looked far younger than Harry remembered, and instead of the customary twinkle in his blue eyes, there was only suspicion and mistrust. That would take some getting used to.

"Hello, professor," Harry said calmly.

Dumbledore stood at the foot of Harry's bed. "Please explain why you've come to Hogwarts," he said.

Harry smiled. "I've come to apply for the Defense Against the Dark Arts position, sir."

Whatever Dumbledore had been expecting, it wasn't that. Harry wasn't really expecting that either, but thought as long as he was stuck here, he might as well do something useful.

Dumbledore simply looked thoughtful for a moment. Then Harry felt a gentle probing in his mind. Harry let his mind go blank and pushed Dumbledore out. He smiled wryly and said, "Ah, professor, I do know occlumency." Dumbledore looked even more surprised and suspicious. Harry continued, "I will tell you the truth, but I would prefer if you did not try to enter my mind. There are certain things that would not be good for you to see. I think you'll understand after hearing my story."

"Very well," Dumbledore said, "but know that if I sense that you are lying to me, I _will_ attack your mind and I _will_ find the truth. The safety of my students comes before your privacy." He conjured up an armchair and sat down next to Harry's bed.

Harry thought for a moment about how to start. "I'm an auror," he finally began, "This afternoon I was finishing up some paperwork and about to head home when I received a memo. It was from a friend of mine who works in the Department of Mysteries. It said that I was to floo call her office as soon as possible. So, naturally, I did. She said that her boss, Darnell, needed to see me in his office right away. She offered to send an intern to show me the way, but I declined. I've been to the Department of Mysteries before as part of my work, and I thought I knew my way around fairly well. So I set off, and at first I was fine. I knew my way to my friend's office, and I thought that I would find my way from there. I'll admit I was in a bit of a hurry, so I guess I wasn't paying as much attention as I should have been because somehow I took a wrong turn. I tried to go back, but in the Department of Mysteries when you go through a door and close it, there is no guarentee that the same room will be there when you open it again. Anyway, I was lost. I kept going because I knew that I would die down there before anyone would find me. I was starting to freak out when I opened a door and was pushed through. I fell onto the grass, realized that I was at Hogwarts, and the rest you know." Harry folded his hands and waited for Dumbledore to speak.

"That's quite an interesting story," Dumbledore finally said, "but there are some inconsistencies. First and most importantly, I pride myself on my close relationship with the aurors, and unfortunately I have never heard of you. Secondly, the head of the Department of Mysteries is not Mr. Darnell, and thirdly, I am unaware of any power that can get through the wards that surround Hogwarts."

"Let me explain," Harry said, "My name is Harry Potter."

Dumbledore seemed confused. "Any relation to James Potter?"

"Yes, actually," Harry said, "He is my father."

"That is highly improbable."

"Improbable, but not impossible, Professor," Harry replied, "It is my belief that the door in the Department of Mysteries somehow transported me to the past."

"I see," said Dumbledore.

"Do you believe me?" Harry asked.

"I've frequently found that the most unbelievable of stories are more often truth than lies."

Harry smiled. "So you _do_ believe me."

"You're resemblance to James is uncanny. Either you're a Death Eater disguised as James Potter, here for some convoluted, poorly thought out plot, or you are telling the truth."

"I wouldn't be a good Death Eater, would I. I'm already captured."

"No, which is why I choose to believe your story. If you don't mind my asking, though, why would you want to be a professor here? Wouldn't this change the future?"

"Well, I have a theory about time travel, sir. The future isn't set in stone, but the past _is_. Everything in the past has already happened, and no matter what I do, I won't be able to change it. If I'm here, then I was always supposed to go back in time. Any attempt I make to change something will only end up causing the very event I was trying to change," Harry said, "For example, in my third year I used a time turner to rescue Sirius, who is my godfather by the way. I didn't realize until later that I didn't really change anything. Everything I witnessed in the past happened exactly as it did when it was my present. It just made a lot more sense."

Dumbledore thought for a moment then said, "You say the future isn't set in stone, yet here you sit. You're very presence here indicates that there is only one possible future, the future from which you came."

"I'm not from the future," Harry said, "I'm from the present."

"You're present _is_ my future."

"Perhaps, but it's all a matter of perspective. It only seems like your future is predetermined because I am here and talking to you. In a way, I guess it is, but only from my perspective. For instance, your time turners can't go forward because there are an infinite number of possible futures based on decisions that haven't been made yet. A time turner from my present can travel to my past, your future, because they already know the outcome of these decisions."

"But isn't your future someone else's past?"

"I suppose, but it doesn't really change anything, does it? I can still make my own decisions. Who cares if my choices are predetermined as long as I feel like I'm choosing because of what I want and not because I think I have to."

"You seem to have given this a lot of thought."

"I've had reason to," Harry said sadly, "Believe me, there are many things I wish I could change about my past."

Dumbledore didn't say anything.

"So, can I have a job?" Harry asked.

"The school year has already started, Mr. Potter. I'm afraid you're too late."

The doors of the hospital wing crashed open, and Harry and Dumbledore both jumped. "I can't do it! I can't do it, Dumbledore!" a man shouted. He strode across the room and came to a stop at the foot of Harry's bed. The man would have been unremarkable looking if he hadn't been covered from head to toe with a bright pink dye. The man was also shaking. Harry wasn't sure if it was a side effect of the spell or if it was from rage.

"What happened to you, Gilbert?" Dumbledore asked.

"I'll tell you what happened!" he shouted, "Those devil children did this to me! I can't take it anymore!"

"Calm down, Gilbert. It's sure to come off eventually."

Gilbert spluttered. "No, I most certainly will not calm down! I mean it, Dumbledore, this is the last straw! I quit!" Without another word he stormed out of the hospital wing, slamming the doors behind him.

Harry sat there, stunned.

Dumbledore sighed. "That was Gilbert Hadley, the Defence Against the Dark Arts professor," he said, "I'm afraid he's just quit."

"Well, that's convenient," Harry said.

Dumbledore chuckled. "Quite."

"So..."

"You'll start on Monday," Dumbledore said, springing out of his chair. He patted Harry on the shoulder. "I assume that will be enough time to prepare yourself."

"Of course, professor," Harry said. He watched Dumbledore walk to the doors then called out, "It's good to see you again, sir."

Dumbledore winked. "Welcome to Hogwarts, Professor Potter."

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><p><strong>AN: Hello everybody! Here's the second chapter. Sorry if it seemed kind of long and boring, but the story need the explanation chapter. In the next chapter Harry will meet his teenage parents. Stay tuned :)**


	3. The First Day of School

**I do not own Harry Potter. Please read the author's note at the bottom, I'd put it here, but I don't want to make you wait any longer. Here's the next chapter...**

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><p>Harry only spent one night in the hospital wing, but he was already sick of the place. On Saturday morning Madame Burchard said he was free to go, and Harry couldn't get out of there fast enough. The halls were deserted, for which Harry was grateful. He didn't fancy running into anyone he knew. That would be awkward, especially considering he still looked like himself. Normally he was glad he looked so much like his father, but here it would definitely be a problem. Harry planned on changing his appearance as soon as possible. It would probably be a good idea to change his name too. It was too much to hope that no one would notice the resemblance between James and himself.<p>

Harry still couldn't believe it. James and Lily, his_ parents_, were _alive_. They were still so young and carefree with absolutely no idea what their future held or who they'd be leaving behind. It was only 1977. In one year his parents would graduate, in two years they would be married, in three years he would be born, and in four years they would be dead. Four short years. That's all they had left, and they didn't even know it. Harry was determined to make the best of the time he had with them, and he held on to his only hope: In exactly 31 years and 364 days he would step through a door and find himself the opportunity to know his parents, and though they wouldn't know who he was, they would have the opportunity to know him too.

Harry longed to get to know them, but it would be hard, possibly the hardest thing he had ever had to do. How could he relate to his parents when they were little more than half his age and had no idea who he was? Would they even seem like his parents or would they just be a couple of average teenagers in his class? Harry wasn't sure if he was ready to face them, but he was grateful for the chance.

The castle was pretty much the same, so Harry had no trouble finding his new quarters behind the Defense Against the Dark Arts office. The door swung open at his touch, and Harry got a first look of his bedroom. It was nicely furnished. The double bed looked warm and comforting, and Harry couldn't wait to sleep in it. There was a fireplace in the south wall, and a couple of squashy armchairs facing it. The south east corner opened up into a breakfast nook. There was a small table with three chairs. The only light was coming in through the windows on the east wall, which had a nice view of the lake. There was a door on Harry's left, which he assumed led to a bathroom. One odd thing Harry noticed was the color scheme. Whoever decorated the room was careful not to favor just one house. The sheets on the bed were white, and the comforter was a coppery brown color. The bed frame was a beautiful mahogany that was echoed in the floorboards. The armchairs were brown. The stone walls were a nice sandy color. It was completely house neutral, and Harry loved it. The only house colors Harry saw were by the fireplace where the house banners on hung either side of the fireplace. All in all, Harry could see himself being comfortable here.

Harry walked over to the wardrobe that was next to the bed. He opened it to reveal multiple sets of plain black robes for teaching. Dumbledore must have picked up a few things for him; he would have to remember to thank him later. He opened a drawer in the bottom and saw a few sets of pajamas as well. In the mirror next to the wardrobe, Harry studied his face. He looked old, and tired. He was only 29, but he could see some grey hair mixed in with the jet black. It was a product of a very stressful life. No one knew stress like Harry Potter. He had more than his fair share of stress as a teenager, but being an auror was no walk in the park. Considering all that and factoring in James, Albus, and Lily, it was amazing his hair wasn't completely white. At least he wasn't wrinkly. He sighed and glanced at his hair again. It was now or never. He pointed his wand at his head and slowly his hair faded from black to a light sandy brown. He decided to give himself a little beard and mustache too. Now when he looked in the mirror, he almost couldn't recognize himself. It was strange, and for the first time Harry realized how absolutely alone he was. No one would miss him. Ginny wasn't born yet, Ron and Hermione were just figments of the imagination. His own three beautiful children weren't here to put their tiny arms around him and tell him they loved him. They didn't exist. Harry Potter didn't exist.

...

Harry surveyed the group of students in front of him. It was Monday morning, and Harry's first class was with the third year Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws. They were all staring at him, and Harry self-consciously ran a hand through his newly dyed hair. "Hello everyone," he said, "My name is Professor Clay, your new Defense Against the Dark Arts Teacher."

The students didn't say anything. They all just stared at him with wide eyes as if expecting him to grow a beak and start quacking. "Well, what are you all waiting for?" Harry asked, "Get your wands out! You're here to learn, aren't you?"

There was a flurry of movement as the students snapped out of their stupor and started digging in their bags for their wands. As they all straightened up again, one Ravenclaw raised his hand. Harry said, "Yes, Mr...?"

"Ackerley," the boy said, "Robert Ackerley. What happened to Professor Hadley?"

"Professor Dumbledore told me that he explained the situation at dinner last week," Harry said.

Robert spoke up again, "He only said that Hadley quit. He didn't say why. It's only the second week of school. Why would he quit already?"

Harry considered the question. "Let's just say he decided to leave for his health."

"But..."

"Enough questions," Harry interrupted, "Let's get started. Everyone on your feet!"

Harry had decided to take a leaf out of Remus' book; he found a boggart in the Room of Requirement for the third year students to practice on. They did well for their first time, and Harry was quite proud. He was careful not to step in the way, though. The students didn't need to come face to face with a dementor just yet. The third years left, and the rest of the day went just as Harry planned. Then it came time for the seventh year NEWT students, and his parents were on the class list.

It was 2:30, and Harry was waiting impatiently for the seventh years to show up. Not surprisingly, the first to get there were a couple of Ravenclaws. They sat down in the front, eager to learn like always. Couldn't they be a little less stereotypical? Over the next few minutes, three more Ravenclaws, two Hufflepuffs, and two Slytherins filtered in. The door opened again, and Harry looked up, sure that it would be one of his parents. Instead, he saw Snape slink in and find his seat. It was as if he went to extra trouble to remain unnoticed. Not even his house members glanced at him as he passed. He sat down in the second row farthest from the door. He looked like he was trying to blend in to the wall behind him.

Harry was too busy watching Snape to notice the door open yet again. Snape did, though. His whole face brightened, and he looked like all his dreams had come true. Harry turned to find the source of this dramatic change in character and his heart stopped. It was her. Lily Evans, his mother. She was just as beautiful as everyone said. Her dark red hair fell in gentle waves to the middle of her back, and her bright green eyes seemed to glow with life and kindness. Those were his eyes. He didn't realize he was staring until he caught Snape glaring at him as if to say, "Back off, you creep, she's mine."

Harry cleared his throat. "Good afternoon everyone, I am Professor Clay. This year we will be focusing on practical defense. I will teach you the skills you need to best survive in the outside world. So far..."

Harry was interrupted by the door opening once more. Then three men he never thought he'd see again walked into the room: Moony, Padfoot, and Prongs.

Harry was frozen for just a second then he snapped out of it. "You're late, boys," he said.

Remus hurried to his seat but paused in front of Harry to say, "Sorry, sir."

"Yes, we're _so_ sorry, _sir_," Sirius said, taking a ridiculous bow.

"We didn't mean to disrupt the class, oh high and mighty Professor," James added.

"Sit down, gentlemen," Harry said calmly, "You can't intimidate me with your childish antics. You can't get me to quit by turning me pink. There's nothing you can do to me that will make me leave, so you better get used to treating me with respect. I was under the impression that you were here to learn, and seeing as that is my job, it would be to your advantage to shut up and sit down." James and Sirius stopped smiling and quickly sat down next to Remus. "20 points from Gryffindor for your tardiness. Stop smirking, Mr. Snape, or I'll take points from Slytherin too," Harry snapped. Snape's face immediately returned to its customary glower.

"As I was saying, so far you have all been sheltered inside these walls. Do you think this will work in the real world?" Harry looked right at James and Sirius. "You all need to learn to grow up. Soon you will be graduating, getting jobs, and starting families, and you need to know what's out there and how to protect yourself and the people you care about.

"Today we will be splitting up into partners for a dueling tournament. I want to see what you've got. Now, just a couple of ground rules before we start. No one may cast any spell for which they do not know the counter-spell, and this should go without saying, but no dark magic. Stick to minor hexes and jinxes. We don't want anyone to get hurt. You may pick your own partners. Go." Everyone stood up and hurried to get paired with a friend.

"Now separate into two lines facing your partner." There was a flurry of movement as they obeyed his orders. James and Sirius were paired up each looking eager to prove his superiority, Remus was paired with a Ravenclaw, and Lily was with one of her friends, Mary, Harry thought. He was about to start the duels when he was approached by Snape.

"There's and odd number, sir," Snape muttered. Harry looked, and sure enough, there were fifteen students.

"You can duel me, Mr. Snape," he said.

Harry then addressed the whole room, "Your ultimate goal is to get your opponents wand. If you have been disarmed, please sit back down. Winners, return your partners' wands and wait for the end of this round. You may begin."

It was complete madness, but Harry focused all his attention on Snape. He knew exactly what spell Snape was going to use. He could see it in his eyes, and he was practically shouting it in his head, so it was no surprise to hear him say, "Relashio!"

Harry blocked the spell with a flick of his wand and sent it careening back toward Snape who was knocked to the ground. Harry took great pleasure in seeing Snape fall on his ass. He might have been responsible for keeping Harry alive for seventeen years, but he was still a git. "Close your mouth and close your mind, Snape!" Harry sneered, "You of all people should know this!"

Snape looked at him weirdly then got up and started attacking Harry with a newfound speed and ferocity, reminding Harry of the older Snape. Harry wasn't trying to win, though. He just put up a shield whenever Snape cast a spell so he was free to look around at the other duels. He was astonished by some of the talent he saw.

His mother was amazing. Her hair whipped around her head in a flaming halo as she cast spell after spell at her friend. Mary had just about given up. She was concentrating all her energy into holding her shield, but Harry could see it starting to falter. Lily let out a shout of triumph as Mary's wand came soaring towards her, and Harry smiled, momentarily forgetting about Snape.

Snape took advantage of his distraction and was able to get a well-aimed disarming spell past Harry's defenses. Harry felt his wand leave his hand and turned his attention back to Snape who was standing triumphantly with two wands in his hand.

"That's more like it, Mr. Snape," Harry said appreciatively, holding his hand out for his wand, "You're ready for the next round." Snape just gave his wand back and went back to his seat.

Only two duels were left at this point. Two Slytherins and James and Sirius. As Harry watched, the Slytherins duel ended and then it was only his father and godfather left. James cast a tickling hex which Sirius dodged and returned with a leg locker curse. James quickly put up a shield and fired back. This went on for another couple of minutes until James finally managed to get Sirius with a stunner. Then he walked over to Sirius and took his wand. The Gryffindors burst into applause and James took a little bow.

"Yes, yes, that was very impressive, Mr. Potter," Harry said, "Now if you would kindly wake up Mr. Black so we can start the next round."

After two more rounds, there were only two students left. By some twist of fate, they were James and Snape. "Alright, gentlemen, ready your wands." James and Snape glared at each other. "Begin!"

Their styles couldn't have been more different. James boldly went for flashy and powerful spells, but Snape seemed content to deflect them with perfect shields. Harry guessed that he was trying to tire James out, and Harry had to admit it was a good strategy. James couldn't keep up the theatrics for long. Sure enough after five minutes, James was slowing down. Snape saw this too, and he began throwing his own spells at James. James' face was lit up by all of Severus' spells, and for the first time, Harry saw him looking worried. James made one last attempt to stun Snape, but Snape was too quick. Before the words were even out of his mouth, Snape cast a disarming spell that hit him right in the chest. James' wand flew into the air, and Snape caught it, victorious.

Harry started clapping, and soon the rest of the class joined in. Snape looked distinctly uncomfortable with all the attention. He stood in awkwardly in the middle of the classroom with his shoulders hunched. "Very good, Mr. Snape!" Harry said, "20 points for Slyth..."

"Diffindo!"

Snape's sleeve tore and a spattering of blood fell to the floor. Harry whipped around. James was standing there with Sirius' wand in his hand looking very smug. "Mr. Po...!"

"Petrificus Totalus!" Snape shouted. James dropped to the ground, stiff as a board.

"That is enough!" Harry shouted. He flicked his wand at James who quickly scrambled to his feet. "Detention Mr. Potter," Harry said, "and you, Mr. Snape."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Hi everybody. I am soooooo sorry for the ridiculously long wait. All I can say is that this semester really kicked my butt. I know that's a poor excuse, and I feel like there really can't be an excuse for not updating in so long. I would just like to apologize, and I hope that this chapter makes up for it a little. I would also like everyone to know that I will not ever abandon this story. I hate it when authors do that. I will definitely try to update regularly, but I can't really make any promises that you would believe. I already have half of the next chapter written, so that will be up within two weeks. Thank you to the readers who stuck with me, and a special thanks to Alice2Epic who reviewed my story today and made me feel guilty. **


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